Wine pairing is pairing wine with foods to create a synergy and balance of tastes. Wine is paired with certain foods in order to bring out the taste in both the wine and the food. When pairing wine, the objective is to pair a wine with foods that share complimentary flavors and textures. The actual tastes that arise from wine and food pairings usually depends on one’s individual likes. One main rule when pairing food and wine is to match wine with food of the same strength, meaning the food should not overpower the wine and vice versa. The wine should always compliment the food with which it is being served.
Pairing wine with chocolate can be difficult. Often polkadot magic belgian chocolate times wine does not go well with any type of chocolate. A lot of people believe that wine should never be paired with chocolate, while others swear by the odd combination. However, pairing wine and chocolate can be done. When pairing wine and chocolate together, try to stay away from a wine that is too dry. Wines paired with chocolate should be sweet. A general rule for pairing wine with chocolate is to pair the chocolate with wine that is just as sweet, as or sweeter than the chocolate.
If a wine is not as sweet as or sweeter than the chocolate that it is being paired with, it can result in a bitter taste. Another factor to keep in mind is the type of chocolate that you are eating. Creamy flavored chocolates pair the best with light-bodied wines. Stronger flavored chocolates however, pair well with full-bodied wines. You can try and experiment with different chocolate and wine combinations. The most popular chocolates to pair with wines are dark chocolate, milk chocolate and white chocolate. You can always mix and match wine and chocolate pairings with different variations of these types of chocolates.
Here are some examples of wine and chocolate pairings that you can try for yourself.
Red Wines often pair well with dark chocolates, like the following combinations:
- Cabernet Franc: Creamy milk chocolate
- Cabernet Sauvignon: dark chocolate
- Merlot: Dark chocolate, milk chocolate
- Pinot Noir: Dark chocolate, milk chocolate
- Sangiovese: Dark chocolate
- Zinfandel: Dark Chocolate
White Wines are tough to pair with chocolates because of their dryness, but can taste great with milk chocolates.
- Chardonnay: French vanilla chocolate